Yukari Hirata's Homepage

                        Associate Professor
                        Colgate University
                        Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures
                        13 Oak Dr., Hamilton, NY 13346
                        Phone: (315) 228-7720
                        Fax: (315) 228-7176
                        yhirata@mail.colgate.edu

Teaching

Background (CV)

Research Interests

Current Projects and Work in progress

Colgate's Phonetics Lab Activities

Yukari Hirata's Recent Publications & Presentations

Teaching

I am an associate professor at the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures of Colgate University. I teach Japanese language (JAPN 121, 122, 201, 202, 301, 302, 401, and 402) and culture (CORE Japan), and an introduction to language acquisition (FSEM 'Brains and Tongues: How do we acquire language?'). I also lead Colgate's Japan Study Group to Kyoto.

Background (My CV)

I was born and raised in Ibaraki-ken, Japan. I came to the United States after finishing my M.A. in Japanese phonetics and Japanese as a second language at the University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan. I finished my Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of Chicago in 1999. Karen L. Landahl (deceased) was my advisor. My doctoral dissertation was titled Acquisition of Japanese Rhythm and Pitch Accent by English Native Speakers. To download my dissertation (336 pages, 18 MB, pdf ), please click here.

June 2002-July 2003: Junior faculty leave, visiting scholar at Dr. James E. Flege's lab at University of Alabama at Birmingham

June 2007-September 2007: Sabbatical, visiting scholar at ATR Cognitive Information Science Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan

October 2007-December 2007: Sabbatical, visiting scholar at NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Kyoto, Japan

Research Interests

Acquisition of second language (L2) speech
Training on nonnative speech contrasts
Acoustic phonetics, experimental phonetics
Japanese as a second language

I have been developing perception and production training programs for native English speakers learning Japanese. I investigate ways for learners of Japanese to acquire difficult contrasts in duration (e.g., i 'stomach' vs. ii 'good') and in pitch (koto means 'Japanese musical instrument' if the first vowel is accented, 'thing' if the second vowel accented). One of my interests has been to examine how learners acquire difficult nonnative contrasts not only in isolated word contexts, but also in sentence contexts. This interest originally came from my general observation of students of Japanese that they can tell the difference between, e.g., i and ii, when they are spoken carefully in isolation, but that they still have difficulty when those words are spoken in a stream of speech.
Although I am interested in the application of my linguistic research in teaching, I like exploring theoretical questions in phonetics and L2 acquisition. Does a critical or sensitive period exist for adult L2 learners that prevents them from attaining a native-level proficiency? Do we know their upper limit? What kinds of input or training facilitate the successful development of L2 perception and production? In order to find answers to these questions, I have worked with people in different fields, e.g., speech scientists, linguists, psychologists, language laboratory managers and staff, computer scientists, and language instructors, as my research is interdisciplinary in nature.

Current Projects and Work in progress

"Three approaches to understanding foreign accent." Project supported by Colgate's Research Council's Mellon Sabbatical Enhancement Grant, 2007-2008.
"Multimodal learning of second language speech sounds." Project with Spencer Kelly. Supported by Colgate's Picker Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies in Science and Mathematics, 2007-2009.
A project supported by National Science Foundation (NSF): "Effects of speaking rate on native English speakers' acquisition of Japanese vowel length contrast."
Roengpitya, R., Tsukada, K., and Hirata, Y. “The effects of vowel length and place of articulation of the following stop on formant frequencies in Thai vowels.EPresented at The 16th Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society.

Colgate's Phonetics Lab Activities

NSF Project

Four undergraduates have been working on this project. One student has modified existing computer scripts to create a new training program, and the other three have set up and familiarized themselves with the newly purchased Computerized Speech Lab (CSL) in the updated phonetics lab. All of them have also read and discussed relevant research papers and prepared for the experiments in weekly meetings. In 2004-05 I established a second lab to conduct NSF experiments. The undergraduate researchers have been collecting data in these two labs in 2005-06.

The impact of the project so far is that new research opportunities have been created to enrich and diversify science education at an undergraduate institution. With the continuing involvement of these undergraduates, this project will allow for integration of research into the studentsEeducational experience. When data collection and analysis are complete, this project will help us understand the relationship between speech input and perceptual learning, which is an important issue for theories of L2 acquisition. Furthermore, the development of the infrastructure for this research at Colgate will enable undergraduates to participate in additional phonetics studies even after the current project is concluded.

NSF Spring 2005 Update

Jake Whiton, Liz Whitehurst, Emily Cullings, Carol Glenn, and Yukari Hirata working on NSF project in new phonetics labs.

NSF Summer 2005 Update

Carol and a participant outside one of the phonetics labs:

Carol conducted preliminary testing to prepare for the experiment.

NSF Fall 2005 Update

Liz and Emily outside the lab:

They began conducting experimental sessions with subjects.

For the results of our study (Fall 2005), please click here.

NSF Spring 2006 Update

(From left) Connor, Emily, Liz, Jon, Yukari, and Jake at Hamilton Inn: The whole NSF group celebrates the end of data collection and Jake's graduation

Emily Cullings and Liz Whitehurst Gave Presentation at Hawaii Conference, 11/27/06-12/02/06

Presentation at the Acoustical Society of America in Vancouver, May 2005

Jake, his parents, and Yukari

Kagoshima Dialect Project (Supported by Freeman Foundation, July 2005)

Jake and Yukari in Shibushi, Kagoshima, Japan

Yukari Hirata's Recent Publications & Presentations

Hirata, Y., *Whitehurst, E., and *Cullings, E. (2007) “Training native English speakers to identify Japanese vowel length contrast with sentences at varied speaking rates.EJournal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 121, No. 6, pp. 3837-3845. Project supported by National Science Foundation (NSF), 2004-2007.
Hirata, Y. (2007) “Durational variability and invariance in Japanese stop quantity distinction: Roles of adjacent vowels.EJournal of the Phonetic Society of Japan, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. x-y.
Hirata, Y. (2006) “Why second language learners of Japanese need to learn difficult minute sounds in connected speech.EIn James Dean Brown and Kimi Kondo-Brown (eds), Perspectives on Teaching Connected Speech to Second Language Speakers (pp. 231-243). Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, National Foreign Language Resource Center.
Hirata, Y. (2006) “An issue of rate normalization for learners of Japanese.E Presented at the Fourth Joint Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and the Acoustical Society of Japan, in Honolulu, November. Abstract published in Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 120, No. 5, p. 3209.
Hirata, Y. (2006) “Coping with speaking rate variations: Nonnative speakersE perceptual learning of Japanese vowel length.EInvited talk at the ATR (Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International) Workshop in Honolulu, November. Abstract published in International Workshop on the Auditory Processing of Prosodic Features and its Applications: Acquisition of Linguistic Organization and Human Audition, p. 38.
Hirata, Y., *Cullings, E., *Whitehurst, E., *Whiton, J., and Lambacher, S. G. (2006) “Effects of training with sentences at varied speaking rates on native English speakersEperception of Japanese vowel length.EPresented at the Fourth Joint Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and the Acoustical Society of Japan in Honolulu, November. Abstract published in Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 120, No. 5, p. 3169.
Hirata, Y., *Whitehurst, E., *Cullings, E., *Whiton, J., and *Glenn, C. (2006) “Training native English speakers to identify Japanese vowel length with fast rate sentencesEProceedings of the Ninth International Conference on Spoken Language Processing (INTERSPEECH 2006), pp. 1371-1374. Presented in Pittsburgh, PA, September.
Hirata, Y. (2006) “Training program for the perception of Japanese morae.EOral presentation and demonstration of MORA: Good-Bye, Syllable! at International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan, June.
Hirata, Y. (2006) “Incorporating phonetics research into second language teaching and learning.EInvited talk given at Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, May. Sponsored by the Institute for Japanese Studies and Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures of Ohio State University.
Hirata, Y. (2006) E/span>Durational variability and invariance in Japanese single/geminate stop distinction.E Invited talk at Kyoto Sokuon Kenkyukai through Phonological Association in Kansai (PAIK) and Kyoto Sangyo University, Kyoto, Japan. Sponsored by Monkasho grant given to Prof. Itsue Kawagoe at Kyoto Sangyo University.
Hirata, Y. and Whiton, J. (2005) “Effects of speaking rate on the single/geminate stop distinction in Japanese.EJournal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 118, No. 3, pp. 1647-1660.
Hirata, Y. (2005) “Effects of speaking rate on production and perception of vowel length in Japanese.E Presented at Phonological Association in Kansai (PAIK), Kobe, Japan, July.
Hirata, Y. (2005) “Effects of speaking rate on native English speakersE identification of Japanese vowel length.EPresented at ISCA Workshop on Plasticity in Speech Perception in London, June. Abstract published in ISCA Workshop on Plasticity in Speech Perception, p. A36.
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Hirata, Y (2005) “Factors affecting native English speakersE identification of Japanese vowel length.EPresented at the 1st ASA Workshop on Second Language Speech Learning in Vancouver, May. Abstract published in First ASA Workshop on Second Language Speech Learning, p. 13.

Hirata, Y. and Whiton, J. (2005) “Relational acoustic invariance in the single/geminate stop distinction in Japanese.EPresented at the 149th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Vancouver, May. Abstract published in Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 117, No. 4, p. 2569.

Tsukada, K. and Hirata, Y. (2005) “Differential effects of speaking rate and phonemic vowel length on formant frequencies of Japanese vowels.E Presented at the 149th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Vancouver, May. Abstract published in Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 117, No. 4, p. 2569.
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Hirata, Y. (2005) “Why a foreign accent is not inevitable for second language learners.EPresented at Science Colloquium Series, sponsored by the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Colgate University.
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Hirata, Y. and Lambacher, S. G. (2004) "Role of word-external contexts in native speakers' identification of vowel length in Japanese." Phonetica, Vol. 61, pp. 177-200.
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Hirata, Y. (2004) "Training native English speakers to perceive Japanese length contrasts in word versus sentence contexts." Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 116, No. 4, pp. 2384-2394.
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Hirata, Y. (2004) “Effects of speaking rate on the vowel length distinction in Japanese.” Journal of Phonetics, Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 565-589.

Hirata, Y. (2004) “Computer assisted pronunciation training for native English speakers learning Japanese pitch and durational contrasts.” Computer Assisted Language Learning, Vol. 17, No. 3-4, pp. 357-376.

Hirata, Y. (2004) "Computer-assisted training for native English speakers to perceive Japanese length contrasts." In F. Malpica, F. Welsch, and A. Tremante (eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Education and Information Systems: Technologies and Applications, Vol. III, pp. 1-6. Orlando, FL: International Institute of Informatics and Systemics.

Hirata, Y. (2004) “Relational acoustic invariance in Japanese vowel length distinction.” Proceedings of From Sound to Sense: Fifty+ Years of Discoveries in Speech Communication.

Hirata, Y. and Lambacher, S. G. (2004) “Role of a carrier sentence in native speakers’ identification of Japanese vowel length.” Presented at 147th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in New York. Abstract published in Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 115, No. 5, p. 2607.

Hirata, Y. and Tsukada, K. (2004) “The effects of speaking rates and vowel length on formant movements in Japanese.” In A. Agwuele, W. Warren, and S. H. Park (eds.), Proceedings of the 2003 Texas Linguistics Society Conference: Coarticulation in Speech Production and Perception. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project, pp. 73-85.

Tsukada, K. and Hirata, Y. (2003) “Factors affecting formant frequencies of Japanese vowels: Speaking rates and vowel length.” Proceedings of the 6th International Seminar on Speech Production, pp. 296-301.

Hirata, Y. (2003) “Learning to form new L2 phonetic categories in sentence contexts.” Proceedings of the 15th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, pp. 515-518.

Hirata, Y. (2003) "Effects of speaking rate on the vowel length distinction in Japanese nonsense words." Presented at 145th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Nashville. Abstract published in Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 113, No. 45, p. 2329.

Hirata, Y. (2003) “Computer-assisted training for the perception of Japanese morae.EInvited talk (oral presentation and demonstration of MORA: Good-Bye, Syllable!) sponsored by International Christian University’s Institute for Educational Research and Service and Research Center for Japanese Language Education. Tokyo, Japan, June.

Hirata, Y. (2002) "Effects of production training with visual feedback on the acquisition of Japanese and pitch and durational contrasts." Proceedings of International Conference on Spoken Language Processing, pp. 741-744.

Hirata, Y. (2001) "Perception and production development in citation vs. sentence contexts by learners of Japanese." Journal of Acoustical Society of America, Vol. 109, No. 5, p. 2472.

Hirata, Y, K. L. Landahl, M. Ziolkowski and B. Need (2000) "Assessing a computer-assisted training program for the acquisition of Japanese pitch: Cooperation among foreign language instructors, linguists, lab directors/managers, and technology specialists." Presented at Fourth International Conference on Foreign Language Education and Technology (FLEAT), August, Kobe, Japan. In Conference Handbook, p. 82.

Hirata, Y. (2000) "Computer-assisted acquisition of Japanese mora and speech perception theories." Presented at the Second International Conference on Practical Linguistics of Japanese, April, San Francisco. In Conference Handbook, p. 91-92.

Hirata, Y. (1999) Acquisition of Japanese Rhythm and Pitch Accent by English Native Speakers. Doctoral dissertation, University of Chicago. Ann Arbor: UMI Dissertation Services-Bell & Howell.

Hirata, Y. (1999) "Effects of sentence- vs. word- level perceptual training on the acquisition of Japanese durational contrasts by English native speakers." Proceedings of the 14th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Vol. 2, pp. 1413-1416.

Hirata, Y. (1999) "Production of Japanese durational contrasts by native and nonnative speakers." Collected Papers from the Joint Meeting "Berlin 99," 137th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America in Berlin, p. 2PSCB_7.